Here you find all projects about effects and stompboxes from any decade. Most of the stuff here is more or less true-bypass related but there are also some other projects. The true-bypass thing is often discussed and itīs really worth to spend some time into this subject, it can make a lot of things easier. Anyway, we hope you will enjoy the things here !

Here you will find the complete true bypass theory and a very detailed step-by-step guide to build your own multi-channel True Bypass Strip, including all the circuit drawings, parts etc. If you donīt want build such a device yourself, have a look at the german LEHLE Switchers, they are built like a tank and will last forever.Very easy and good sounding passive A/B box (PDF, 410kb)

This project is from Mr. Mike Fuller, the owner and CEO of the californian based FULLTONE company. If you ever need a fantastic sounding A/B box without any coloration of the tone, here it is ! The document is a local copy and the original can be found here. If you are looking for such an A/B box to buy, have a look at the german LEHLE Switchers, they are built like a tank and will last forever.Build your own A/B/Y box (aka A/B/AB box) (PDF, 78kb)

If you need to route your guitar signal to two different amps to use them alone and both amps together (pseudo-stereo setup), you will need an A/B/Y box. Basically itīs an A/B box (see the project above) with an added Y option. Keep in mind that using such a standard passive A/B/Y switch to switch to dual amp outputs can probably cause noticable hum in the signal to one or both amps. If you want to be save from this problem, you will need an A/B/Y box with isolated outputs, you will find such a project H E R E. If you want a top-notch ready-to-rock A/B/Y box without any noise and hum, have a look at the german LEHLE Switchers, they are built like a tank and will last forever.Buffer-Box (aka "line-driver") (PDF, 8kb)

Great Buffer-Box to run long cables without highend-loss and without any tone-coloration. The layout is based on a design from Jack Orman and was slightly modified by my friend Andreas Möller. If you want to use a ready-to-solder PCB to build your own buffer, Mr. Jerry Sleep from General Guitar Gadgets would be happy to supply you with such a goodie, please have a look here. You can find out more information about this project inside the "True Bypass Strip" page (almost at the bottom of the page). You can also purchase tested high-quality buffers in our Webshop. A combined buffer/switcher is available from the german LEHLE Switcher company, they are built like a tank and will last forever.Converting modern Tubescreamers into the real 808 version (PDF, 744kb)

The old TS808 tubescreamer is one of the holy grails in tone today and everybody seems to be keen on having the original tone. If you are not a collector and donīt want to pay a lot of $ for an original box, you can turn any tubescreamer into an original sounding stompbox.Modding any vintage Big Muff to true-bypass (PDF, 1.74MB)

The vintage Biff Muffs are one of the holy tone grails today. They have a really cool sound but have all one thing in common - they are not true bypass ! If you have such a box and want to add true-bypass, here is what to do. This article was only possible with the help from my friend Andreas Möller, a big shout-out to him. If you want to find out more about the history of the vintage Big Muff family, please have a look here and donīt miss this article. The "holy grail" of the Big Muff family is without any doubt the socalled "triangle" Muff. If you would like to have a very close look upon this beauty, here it is (including a detailed tracing of the circuit).Converting the NYC reissue Big Muff to true-bypass (PDF, 293kb)

The modern NYC reissue Big Muff is a top-notch quality stompbox with the tone and the vibe of the vintage ones. But the first production runs were not true-bypass and if you have such a box you can find out here how to true-bypass it. Besides this you will find some really good modding suggestions here. If you want to find out more about the Reissue NYC Muffs and how they compare to the original vintage Muffs, please have a look here.True Bypass for any russian Big Muff (PDF, 415kb)

The russian made Big Muffs are very common and easy to find. With a little time and some bucks you can turn them into a very good sounding tone machine. Here is a detailed description of the necessary work to do and first and foremost how to make them true bypass. If you want to find out more about the russian Muffs, please have a look here.Optimize your green russian Big Muff (PDF, 566kb)

This is a great step by step photo essay from my friend Magnus, whoīs a member of the german DIY forum. The green russian Big Muff is one of the best sounding Muffīs out there, but itīs suffering from some poor quality components. Magnus shows you how to swap all this crappy parts and how to make your own Muff road-worthy. If you want to find out more about the russian Muffs, please have a look here.Modding Jack Ormanīs Mini Booster (PDF, 12kb)

This is the best booster I ever tried and I can highly recommend it. It is easy to build and you can buy ready-to-solder PCBīs for this booster directly from Jack Orman himself or from Jerry Sleep. Please have a look here for the Mini Booster basics. I have built several of this boxes and you will find a lot of cool mods for it inside.Protect your stompboxes from an incorrect polarity (PDF, 37kb)

Here is a neat trick to protect your stompboxes from an incorrect polarity while using daisy-chained power from an AC adaptor or wall-wart, as well as from incorrect inserted batteries. Thanks to Martin Koch for this easy-to-do solution, taken out of his book "E-Gitarrenbau".